Apparatus for the subdivision and treatment of fluids



E. L. PEASE APPARATUS FOR THE SUBDIVISION AND TREATMENT OF FLUIDS Filed Feb. 1. 19?.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l TO E w Deci Q E. L. PEAYSE 5 APPARATUS FOR THE SUBDIVISION AND TREATMENT OF FLUIDS Filed Feb. 1, 192] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

EDWARD LLOYD PEASE, 0F DARLINGTON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR THE SUBDIVISION AND TREATMENT OF FLUIDS.

Application filed February 1, 1921. Serial No. 441,708.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS or THE AC1 or MARCH 3, 1e21, 41 smart. L., 1313.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, EDWARD LLOYD PEASE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Darlington, in the county of Durham, England, have invented Improvements in Apparatus for the Subdivision and Treatment of Fluids, of which the following is a l specification.

This invention has reference to apparatus for the treatment of fluid of various kinds, including streams of finely divided or comminuted matter, such for example as coal or other dust, which, when mixed with a fluid carrier, for example air or other gas or gases or vapour, constitutes, in effect, a stream of fluid and is consequently hereinafter included in the term fluid.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for the purpose referred to characterized by a number of plates or sheets (hereinafter referred to as sheets) having entirely flat or plane surfaces arranged close together so that'they make contact with each other at certain regions and are so shaped that when assembled they provide narrow fluid mixing spaces that are in communication with one another byway of a passage or passages extending transversely through the set of sheets.

I The apparatus is thus distinguished from other apparatus of a similar kind in this, that narrow spaces are obtainable equal in thickness to the thickness of the sheets employed, the number of such spaces, for a given-length of apparatus, being determined only by the thickness of the sheets employed.

Apparatus embodying the invention can be.

- constructed in various forms depending to some extent upon the end to be attained, as will be apparent from the examples now about to be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig.1 is a transverse section onthe'line' 1-1 of 1*ig. 2 and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the lineII-JI of Fig. 1, of one construction of apparatus that may advantageously be used for mixing fluid and for the interchange of heat between fluids. Fig. 3 shows in plan, a few of the sheets with the tubes shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a face view of'the juxtaposed sheets used in a modified construction of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section corresponding to the line VV of Fig. 4. Fi 6 is a horizontal section on the line l I of Fig. 7, and Figs. 7 and 8 vertical sections onthe lines VI1-VII and Vin- KE respectively of Fig. 6, showing a construction of the apparatus suitable for use as a gas and air mixing device or burner.

According to the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, two sets of flat sheets A and B are employed bearing one against the other for part of their surface area and so shaped and arranged as shown, that when assembled together, flat shallow spaces 0. are left between the A set of sheets whilst similar spaces Z) are left between the B set of sheets, a transverse passage or space, indicated at 0 (Figs. 1 and 2), being left between adjacent edge portions of the sheets common to all the flat narrow spaces a. and

b. The passage or space 0- may be of any a desired shape in cross section being shown in the example as of elongated shape. The arrangement is such that assuming the two sets of sheets to be fitted within a casing d or other structure having separate inlets e and f for fluids, the stream of fluid entering by one inlet, say a, will pass through the shallow spaces a between the A set of sheets and be subdivided into a number of thin flat streams of fluid, whilst the fluid entering by the other inlet f will pass through the shallow spaces 6 between the B set of sheets andbe similarly subdivided into a number of thin flat streams, the two sets of streams intermingling in thecommon passage or space 0 through which the mixture of fluids will pass either under pressure or suction, and escape through an outlet 9 at one end of the apparatus.

The two sets of sheets A and Bare shown as of equal thickness but they may obviously be of different gauges so that the spaces between the sheets of one set, for instance for air, may be of greater thickness than the spaces between the sheets of the other set designed for the passage of another gas.

An arrangement of adjacent and overlapping metal sheets such as just described, may advantageously be used for the'interchange of heat between fluids. purpose, the two sets A and B ofmetal sheets formed with juxtaposed holes at parts thereof that bear directly against one another, may be traversed by one or more For this tubes 71;, two are shown, fixed to the sheets and through which one of the fluids passes whilst another fluid passes through the spaces a and 5 left between adjacent sheets I which are arranged within a suitable casing (Z or other structure. Thus, an to be heated or cooled may be caused to fiow'through the spaces a and 7) and steam or cold water through the tubeor tubes h,- the surfaces of the sheets affording a very large heating or cooling surface and the heated or cooled fluid'pas'si'ng between the sheets, escaping through the exit space or passage 0 common to them. Or steam from an engine or other sourcema be caused to pass tl'irou'gh'the 'spaces'aand 7) between the sheets A and B and a cooling liquid, such as water, through the tube or tubes 72, or "vice versa, the arrangement then forming a condenser. The tube 7L, or each tube, passes through and'is fixed a's by an' expanding tool, in portions of the adjacent sheets that are, as hereinbefore stated, in direct surface contact with each other. This is a feature of considerable im- "portance as practically the whole external area or the tube is in "direct Contact With' and completelycovered by the edge portions of the holes in the sheets, whereby a'very eitiicienttransterof heat from the tube to the sheets is "ensured. For heat interchangingpurposes, it is important that the'sur-"face area joftlie -rnetal in contact with the' fluids should b'e-la'rge relatively to the volume of fluids used. For this purpose it is preferred to us'efrelatiirely small'tubes and a large number of thilrme'tal sheets in direct metaliic-edge' contact therewith, thereby securing the high subdivision of the fluids required for the elfieient interchangin of heat, ort'he ihterrningling of fluids, and 'eflicient transfer 'hf heat.- H a I 11 some eass, i hSte'adoi' using one "or more-tubes 7i.withmetal sheets A and ;B "for purposes such mentioned, and as sh-awn in Figs- 1,2 and'3,the "sets of metal sheets, at parts thereof where theya're firml held "in "direct surface contact with each other, may be formed with registering-holes to form one or'more passages for fluid, in seeder fitting the holes with tubes.

, 4a'11d'l5 show anarmngemeat of this hind where the alternate plates A and B 'are'forme'd with juxtaposed holes i adapted "flowing through the spaces a "and 7) between the adjacent plates. By cuttingaway apertion of each plate adjarent to each'hole 2' tor at ions namely 2" through which 'a fluid,

- admitted to each passage It, can flow into the spaces wand "b between the plates Aand B andb'ecome mixed with another fluid or otherfl uids flowing through such spaces. The mixed fluids can flow through a pascomp'risiirg sage, such "as '0; the spaces. The juxtaposed holes 2', although arranged in line with one another, need not be of the same diameter.

V] hen admixture of fluids is desired rather than heat'transrerene me 'a'dj'acent sheets A and B 'maybe of material other than metal, as for example of sheet asbestos, when it is desired to mix two hotor corrosive gases.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 two lsets. ofisli'ee'ts A! and JR are clamped together 'a'sby rivets 7a or bolts, and

adapted to fit within cylindrical casingcl provided with separate air en'd rcombustible gas inlets flnand '0 "and \'vith in which the combined sheets/can be mounted to be rotated, as by a spindle p andhand wheel '7 For this purpose the spindle is connected to the two 'sets "of sheets A, B "tlH'OUglI a col lar p and plate- 29 fixed to the spindle and to the' lowor'end of the-sets'ot sheets.v The sets of sheets A and 'B "are so relatively shaped,"as shown, that inone position there is segmental set of shallow spaces "a between the :sheets LA opposite the air inlet-n and a segmental set- 'oit'spaces :6 between the sheets B opposite the gas inlet '0,"a "central "exit space a of'oirc-ular section-,ror it maybe of other section, beingv left between the 21dacent edges of .the*=s'heets-.' The remaining oppositely-eli'spose'cl segmentsot' the two sets of sheets are held-in close" contactiwitheach "other, as by the rivets k,s:fanducan, :by 'is'uitably turning the "combined sheets about the central axis of the arrangement, be: brought new position to close the's'air gas inletsm-"andm. S-u'ch *ans. '-arrangerhent may be used as Ian frail and sgas i i-taxing'pvalve or bra-mew. Lillie. entrance to the central space 0 formed by the spaces a5 "6 between -=the sheets can JlJ B largely v varied in rcl-ifi'erent sheets in arseries; 'Inthe example shown 'in Fig. 6 theyarie of angular shape. 'W11aa'r:@-1a1masr 7 :1. "Apparatus torspurpo'ses fsuch as herein referred to, comprisinga'number of. sheets havingh entirely fiat 'or; plane parallel s surfaces 'za'rranged closely "together a-n'd r250 sh'apedth'at theyonalze contact with each other "at bertainiTegiohs thereof and -form narrow "spaces between those portions oat-alternate sheets-that are not in contact with intermediate sheets-and 'agp'assage which rextends through the assembled sheets, at right angles to 'thesplane. thereof, and is; in com- '*1nunieation1'with the 'Isaid. narrow spaces.

\ Apparatiisof the kind. I referred wto, a rstiaicth re having openings therein for. 'nlet outlet of fluid,"a-:number of sheet's having" entirely flat or. plane parallel surfaces arrangedclosely: together and so-I'shaped 'thattth'eymake contact with each other at "certainiseregions "thereof, and form narrow spaces between those portions thereof and is in communication with the said narrow spaces, the said spaces being in communication with some of the openings in the casing and the passage being in communication with a separate opening in the casing.

3. Apparatus of the 'kind described, comprising sheets having entirely flat or plane surfaces arranged closely together so that they make regional contact with each other leaving narrow fluid spaces between them, each sheet being notched and the several sheets being arranged so that the notch in one sheet overlaps the notch in an adjacent sheet thereby forming a passage that extends transversely through all the sheets and is in communication with the narrow fluid spaces aforesaid, substantially as described.

4. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a structure having inlets for fluid and an outlet for fluid, two sets of notched overlapping sheets having entirely flat or plane surfaces arranged close together within said structure so that they make regional contact with each other over part of their area and form two sets of narrow fluid spaces between the said sheets in communication with the respective inlets and a passage that eXtends transversely through all the sheets and is in communication with the several narrow spaces and. with the said outlet, substantially as described.

5. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a structure having inlets for fluid and an outlet for fluid, two sets of notched overlapping sheets having entirely flat or plane surfaces arranged close together within said structure so that they make regional contact with each other over part of their area and form two sets of narrow fluid spaces between the said sheets in communication with the respective inlets and a passage that communicates with the several narrow spaces and with the said outlet, said sheets being also pierced in different regions that are in contact with one another, the piercings being juxtaposed to form a separate passageway that extends through the juxtaposed regional portions, substantially as described, a portion of each sheet being cut away so as to form a plurality of pas sages from said passageway to each of the fluid spaces.

Signed at London, England, this fourteenth day of January, 1921.

EDWARD LLOYD PEASE. 

